Dear voters

By Scott M. Phelps

Why you should vote for me

January 15, 2005

Dear voters,

Two years ago I tried to warn people about the state of affairs at Muir H. S. I spoke in front of each of the three councils (Pasadena, Sierra Madre and Altadena) who sponsored the Charter Reform Task Force on School District Governance. I told them that PUSD leadership was ignoring key aspects of the report, like a plan to reduce the achievement gap and the behavior gap between different groups of students. Now Muir and other schools have been threatened with state takeover.

I am a veteran of fifteen years of teaching in the PUSD and have won several awards, including the Pasadena Rotary Teachers of Excellence. I have proven ability to work with people, I love kids and I think students, teachers and parents are the sources of inspiration and improvement, not excessive standardization of curricula. Further, I am a parent who is in love with his almost three-year old son. We have another child on the way and due this summer. Both are headed for a new PUSD!

I have worked for over ten years developing curricula with the scientists at Caltech who developed PUSD's hands-on science program, which has now spread to other districts and even countries. As a Caltech graduate and co-collaborator, I have the respect and support of the science education community.

The parents and educators of Sierra Madre and Hastings Ranch are among the most involved people we have in the PUSD and have exemplary schools to show for it. After several years of planning, they requested that Sierra Madre Elementary be allowed to expand to include grades 7 and 8. Don Benito parents wanted to add a grade 6 to their successful school. This is why I support giving sites real decision-making power, including budget authority. Bureaucrats at the Ed Center have not and will not solve our schools' challenges. At Muir, I helped found its first site-based decision-making team and am very glad to see it functioning now with a user-friendly principal in place. The results from around the nation are obvious: involved parents have the largest effect on schools. I would rather support schools that are working and nurture other school communities to develop into strong schools themselves! Let's give school-based decision-making groups real power and nurture their efforts!

I like spending time on school campuses. I like talking with students, teachers and parents. As a veteran PUSD teacher, I can assure you I will know how to vote on matters presented to me. I will not abstain from critical votes, nor will I look to hold others accountable for a budget crisis created by the current Board and senior administration. For years I have balanced six figure budgets and submitted annual state reports for one of Muir's partnership academies. I have developed good working relationships with many PUSD business office personnel and have proven that I have the diligence and patience to expose all of a budget's expenditures.

Having waited for an extra two years for our new science building at Muir, I have great concerns with PUSD's management of these taxpayer-supported improvements. We need to generate funds for the maintenance and security of these investments so that they withstand their usage. Having seen large annual losses in taxpayer-provided student textbooks, I support attaching textbook bills to city utility bills. I support much stronger truancy enforcement. The increased attendance money PUSD will receive will help us take care of our infrastructure investments.

I hope that you will support my campaign. If you would like to support the expenses of mailing or volunteer, please send a contribution or contact me below.

Sincerely,

Scott Phelps

Phelps for School Board 1117 Forest Avenue Pasadena, CA 91103-2807 626-405-0165 home 626-318-7442 cell sphelps@alumni.caltech.edu